Method and apparatus for raising anchors



METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING ANCHORS Filed June 5, 1961 HTTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,094,095 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING ANCHORSWalter R. Litchfield, 817 Bay Ave., Ocean City, NJ, and Robert R.Litchlield, 158 Bala Drive, Somers Point, NJ. Filed June 5, 1961, Ser.No. 115,026 6 Claims. (Cl. 114-206) This invention relates generally toa method for raising boat anchors from a submerged anchoring position toa position on the surface of the water and to a novel deviceparticularly adapted to perform this function.

More specifically, the invention relates to the method of raising boatanchors wherein a buoyant device is attached to the anchor line at apoint adjacent the boat and is moved down the line to the anchor by theresistance of the water as the device is towed through the water, theanchor being released to the action of the buoyant device when thebuoyant device reaches the bottom of the line.

At the present time relatively heavy anchors used with sizeable cabincruisers and larger boats must be towed in by hand, which is a verydifficult operation, or by hand or capstan methods, or by power Winchinstallations which are quite expensive and bulky and which require areliable source of electric power. The speed of recovery, even withpower equipment, is only about twenty-five to thirty feet per minute orten or twelve minutes to recover an anchor at the end of fifty fathomsof line.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a method for raisingboat anchors which can be readily performed without extraordinary skilland without the use of winches or other unduly bulky, expensiveequipment.

A further object is to provide a method of raising the boa-t anchorwhich can be performed by one person, such as the operator of the boat.

Another object is to provide a device for use in the aforementionedmethod of raising boat anchors, such device being simple inconstruction, quick and convenient in operation, durable in use,economical in cost and capable of compact storage when not in use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view illustrating a boat inconventional anchored position having a device incorporating the deviceof the instant invention secured to the anchor line thereof preparatoryto raising the anchor by the novel method described and claimed herein;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing here the boat andanchor-raising device in a second position during the process of raisingthe anchor and showing also, in phantom lines, the boat andanchor-raising device in a third position during this process;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the anchorraising device; and

FIG. 4 is a similar view illustrating a modification of the connectionbetween the anchor-raising device and the anchor line.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, it will be recognizedit is conventional to anchor 21 boat in the manner illustrateddiagrammatically in FIG. 1. The anchor '1 has its flukes 2 embedded at asubmerged point, and is connected to the boat 3 by an anchor line 4. Theboat 3 is situated on the surface of the water at a position laterallyspaced from a point overlying the submerged anchor, normally beingcarried to this point by the stream or tide within the limitations ofthe slack in anchor line 4.

The anchor-raising device 5 comprises an enlarged buoyant member 6,which may be an inflated waterproof bag of the general type commerciallyavailable for use as buoys or the like. The bag is approximately two andone- 3,094,095 Patented June 18, 1963 half feet long and a foot or morein diameter. It must be of great enough bulk to create, when movingthrough the water, a drag which is enough to overcome its buoyancy, butits buoyancy must be sufiicient to be able to overcome the weight of theanchor.

A rope 7 may be secured at one end thereof by passing the end througheyelets 8 formed in a pair of ears 9 projecting from one end of the bagon either side of a conventional air inlet valve mechanism 10. The otherend of rope 7 is secured, in the preferred embodiment, around a pulley11, which is mounted in turn between the legs of a bifurcated portion atone end of a swivel connection 12. The other end of the swivelconnection comprises a conventional spring-latch hook member 13. In thisembodiment the hook member 13 is connected to a rigid coil 14 by passingthrough an eyelet 15, secured as by welding or the like to the outeredge of a central convolution thereof.

The internal diameter of coil 14, as well as the spacing betweenadjacent convolutions thereof, is greater than the diameter of theanchor line 4. Thus, the coil 14 can readily be positioned on the line4, as by passing the line under one free end of the coil and wrapping itaround until it has passed the opposite free end of the coil and canassume a generally axial position within the coil. The coil 14 is thusfree to move along the length of the line 4 and When the buoyant member6 it attached thereto and placed in the water, the boat 3 is moved fromits initial position illustrated in FIG. 1 to the successive positionsshown in FIG. 2 in full lines and phantom lines, respectively. The bulkof the buoyant member 6 eflects a great deal of drag as it is beingtowed through the water by the anchor line '4. This drag serves to movethe buoyant member 6 downwardly to the particular point on the line 4where the components of force which it exerts on the line are evenlydivided. (See FIG. 2.) This force of the drag is suflicient to overcomethe normal buoyancy of the inflatable member while the boat moves at anysignificant speed toward and beyond the position of anchor 1.

As the boat 3 continues to move toward the position shown in phantomlines in FIG. 3, the coil 14 passes down the line 4 and onto the anchorshaft. As the line 4 is pulled tent in the opposite direction, theanchor 1 is positively pivoted out of its embedded position and the coil14 slides easily onto the anchor shaft. At this point, whether the boat3 continues to move or is stopped, the buoyancy of the member 6 will gointo effect and will raise the anchor 1 to the surface of the water. Theanchor line 4 may be towed in by any known procedure, and the anchor .1and buoyant member 6 can be readily lifted into the boat 3. Preferably,the boat can be turned about and run slowly toward the buoyant memberrecovering the slack anchor line en route and pulling the anchor itselfover the side of the boat. The entire operation normally takes littlemore than a minute.

An alternative form of the connection is illustrated in FIG. '4 andcomprises a U-shaped frame member 20 having an eyelet 21 fixed on theend of one leg 22 thereof and an arm 23 hingedly mounted in a bifurcatedsection at the end of the other leg 24 thereof. The arm 23 is adapted tospan the gap between the legs 22 and 24 and is provided with acam-ended, spring-loaded latch 25, telescopically received therein.Latch 25 is operable by .a radially extending pin 26 projecting througha slot 27 in one side of the arm 23. The slot 27 serves to limit themovement of latch 25, and the force of the spring (not shown) tends tohold the latch 25 in its outer position subject to being cammed inwardlyas the arm 23 is pivoted into closed position with the latch memberpassing into an inwardly facing slot 28 in the leg to be received in anopening 29 at the end of said slot.

It will be understood that numerous modifications may be made in thestructure, material and arrangement of the elements described hereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of theannexed claims. Similar modifications may be made in the specific methodwhich has been described.

We claim:

1. A method of raising a submerged anchor which is secured to a boat byan anchor line, comprising the steps of: attaching a large buoyantmember to said anchor line for movement along said line from a point ofattachment, moving said boat from an initial position remote from asurface point overlying said anchor to a second position equally remotefrom said surface point by traversing a suflicient distance therebetweento permit the resistance of the Water to move said buoyant memberdownwardly along said line to said anchor, and releasing said anchor byfurther moving said boat to over- .turn said anchor whereby said anchoris released to the action of said buoyant member and carried to thesurface of the water.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said buoyant member is secured to saidline by an attachment which moves down said line into surroundingrelation with respect to the shaft of said anchor, coming to restagainst the flukes thereof.

3. An anchor raising device comprising a ring member adapted to besecured to an anchor line at a point intermediate the ends thereof forsliding movement along said line, said ring member having a centralopening and means for providing access to said opening from a directiontransverse to the axis of said opening to permit attachment anddetachment of said ring on said anchor line at said point, a submersibleenclosed buoyant memher, and non-elastic connecting means secured at oneend to said ring member and at the other end to said buoyant member at acentrally disposed point on the forward end thereof, said connectingmeans including a swivel connection .to permit free spinning rotation ofsaid buoyant member with respect to said ring member.

4. In combination, a boat, a flexible anchor line secured at one endthereof to said boat, a boat anchor having an anchor shaft with itsouter end fixedly secured at the other end of said anchor line, ringmeans surrounding said anchor line for free sliding movement therealong,and along the shaft of said anchor, said ring having a central openingand means for providing access to said opening from a directiontransverse to axis of said opening to permit attachment and detachmentof said ring on said anchor line at an intermediate point along thelength thereof, a submersible buoyant mem ber having an enclosed airchamber therein, and nonelastic connecting means securing said buoyantmember in spaced relation with respect to said ring means, saidconnecting means being secured at one end thereof to said ring means andat the other end thereof to said buoyant member at a centrally disposedpoint on the forward end of said buoyant member and including a swivelconnection to permit free spinning rotation of said buoyant member withrespect to said ring means, said ring means constituting the solestructure for connecting said buoyant member to said anchor line andsaid buoyant member having suflicient buoyancy to support the Weight ofsaid anchor in water.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein said ring member comprises a rigid coilhaving spaced convolutions.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said ring member comprises a rigidelement adapted to surround said anchor line, one portion of said rigidelement being removable to permit said ring member to be mounted on saidanchor line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

3. AN ANCHOR RAISING DEVICE COMPRISING A RING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BESECURED TO AN ANCHOR LINE AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF FORSLIDING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID LINE, SAID RING MEMBER HAVING A CENTRALOPENING AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAID OPENING FROM A DIRECTIONTRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF SAID OPENING TO PERMIT ATTACHMENT ANDDETACHMENT OF SAID RING ON SAID ANCHOR LINE AT SAID POINT, A SUBMERSIBLEENCLOSED BUOYANT MEMBER, AND NON-ELASTIC CONNECTING MEANS SECURED AT ONEEND TO SAID RING MEMBER AND AT THE OTHER END TO SAID BUOYANT MEMBER AT ACENTRALLY DISPOSED POINT ON THE FORWARD END THEREOF, SAID CONNECTINGMEANS INCLUDING A SWIVEL CONNECTION TO PERMIT FREE SPINNING ROTATION OFSAID BUOYANT MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO SAID RING MEMBER.